From The Dark Past: interview with Luciferion (Wojtek Lisicki)
From The Dark Past, the TrueMetal column by Mickey E.Vil (Radio Onda D’Urto FM, The Mugshots) in collaboration with Henry der Wanderer (Nott, Nebrus, Ignis Absconditus). Rediscovering obscure gems unfairly buried in the past. Bands that, in the Nineties, had all it takes to achieve success but for some reason they didn’t succeed. Follow us, today we will illuminate the darkness by bringing back to light… Luciferion!
I’d like to know how many of you do remember Luciferion. Here we are truly in the Olympus of bands with immense potential who – for one reason or another, let’s try to understand why – have left very little material of top-notch quality to posterity. I can remember when, exactly twenty years ago (December 2003), Henry got into the car and said to me: «Listen to these guys, the perfect mix of Morbid Angel and Nocturnus!». I didn’t have to be told twice and I immediately fell in love with that masterpiece entitled The Apostate. My hope was to be able to follow them during their rebirth (the previous album Demonication dated back to almost a decade earlier) but shortly thereafter my hopes – and those of who knows how many other fans – were dashed: Luciferion decided to leave the scene. How come? Let’s see if guitarist/vocalist Wojtek Lisicki can give us some answers during this huge interview…
Can you tell us something about the very early days of Luciferion, from the very beginning to the recording of Demonication (The Manifest)?
It all came bout rather spontaneously. We began meeting in a small bunker, the three of us, to play a different kind of music than what we were playing in our respective bands at the time. Michael (oar), Peter (cauldrons) and I (oar). We had always listened to Metal, and our fascination with it was constantly evolving. It was evolving, as it usually does, towards the extreme. Interestingly, alongside that, we always had an appreciation for melody and imagery. Another aspect was our love for technical playing. Added to that was our fascination with mysticism, occultism, spirituality, and so on. I believe that initiating these meetings was a result of the need to combine all these interests into one. But it’s important to mention that those were the times and age when nothing mattered except playing music and Metal in it’s complete comprehension. Hanging out in the bunker and playing was pure pleasure, so we met as often as possible. In a relatively short time we painted the entire cave black, including the ceiling and the floor. After creating five songs, we recorded them in a professional studio. An old and well-known one, that was used by Swedish pop music stars from past decades. Definitely non Metal or even Rock. We would have never had the means to book that studio if it weren’t for Michael’s father, who happened to live in the same city and used his connections to negotiate a deal with the owner. In return, he could grub for free at his restaurant for a few years. The guy had never heard of something like Death Metal. Just imagine his thoughts and how he reacted after being “enlightened with references” for the recording and then the recording process itself. Especially the vocals…
You were more influenced by the US Death Metal scene from Florida rather than the European one. Which were your impressions, back then, about the extreme Metal scene in Scandinavia, especially the Black Metal one?
We were all inspired. Or more precisely, we were consumed by American Death Metal, as we loved that style ever since we discovered Altars of Madness and Deicide. From that moment on, Morbid Angel and Deicide became absolute objects of worship and benchmarks for our path. But of course, we were also influenced by many other bands and styles in the extreme and non-extreme Metal of those times and a whole range of earlier ones. And as for Black Metal, the so called second wave caught even us off guard. I remember vividly, when Michael came to the youth music center, where I was practicing, bringing Pure Holocaust by Immortal, which had just been released. It was a shock and a mind-blow. We felt that a new stage of evolution in Metal had just emerged. Black Metal consumed us quite intensely at that point. Well, not completely, because we still saw ourselves as Death Metallers, but it certainly tipped the scale of our interests towards the realm of darkness and the need to explore Black Metal itself. Over time, we naturally became appropriately malevolent individuals, relatively engaged in the secretive activity of a hermetic world, that spread ever-increasing terror around.
How did fans and the press react to ‘Demonication (The Manifest)?
Very enthusiastically. From today’s perspective quite shockingly enthusiastically. Later, I often wondered to myself, how a band that essentially based almost all of their creative output and image on inspirations from something that already existed before, could cause such a commotion. Not to mention achieving cult status on par with the progenitors, later in time. Well, it is what it is; people have their own standards of perception and judgment. But of course, just so it’s clear, I am fully aware of the level of what we accomplished back then. In its own way, that album was one of the style’s icons at the time. From what I see, for many it remains so to this day.
What happened during the almost ten years long hiatus between Demonication (The Manifest) and The Apostate?
Well, seven years, to be precise. From 1996 for a couple of years, health, time, and life itself were wasted on an abyssal misery with the opposite sex as the subject of a downright farce. Each of us individually; literally like some kind of doom or curse, and all with a very similar script. Then, after recovering from that nightmare, somewhere around the beginning of 1998, our career paths went in different directions definitively. In my and Martin’s case, it was a total commitment to Lost Horizon, in Michael’s to Dark Tranquility, in Hans’s to Dimension Zero and Diabolique.
Why the choice to leave the satanic imagery behind, when you recorded The Apostate?
An end was put to all that absurdity, mainly on my initiative. Due to the fact that in 2002 I was essentially the sole driving force behind the band’s temporary revival for the purpose of recording another album, I made that decision myself. However, I knew that the rest of the band was weary of that over-exploited trajectory, both band wise and in personal life. In my case, though, there was a much more personal and serious reason to deviate from that path of self-destruction, and what’s more due to an imaginary world.
What kind of live activity did you experience back in the 90s and in the early 2000s? Plus, can you tell us something about the line-up changes Luciferion went through?
We only played live-shows in the period somewhere between 1993 and 1997. Generally, we started playing concerts very quickly. Back then, one didn’t think too much and didn’t need much. We would take the songs that we had, not necessarily complete, or with real lyrics, then add a few covers and play concerts. During the first period, we didn’t even have a bassist. It didn’t matter at all. It was enough to boost the low frequencies on the amplifiers, and that’s it. And in this type of Metal, where bass plays 90% in unison with the guitars, the lack of bass is easy to camouflage live. However, when the record came out and we started playing official concerts, we recruited the bassist Martin into the band, who had previously played with me in our Heavy-Metal band Highlander. He was ideal for the band, despite the stylistic range. Moreover, he didn’t question anything we were doing in our dark fervor and fixation. He simply loved Metal, and back then that was all that mattered. Besides, if one could play something with an even harder ass-kick, the better. That was the approach of true metalheads. Thinking back on it now, it was pretty odd; the guy went to study with Hard-Rock and Heavy-Metal masters at the Musician Institute in Los Angeles and as soon as he returned home, he was immediately dragged into a Death-Metal band with a diabolical theme and storms of dark roaring from the speakers. But it wasn’t a problem at all,; he quickly acclimatized and fit in perfectly. It was similar with the keyboardist Johan. Except that he had absolutely nothing to do with Metal in the general sense. The guy navigated exclusively in the meanders of electronic music To some extent, due to his upbringing, even classical music. (His mom was an opera songstress.) He was well-behaved and quite refined, relatively reserved and somewhat distanced overall, which was completely understandable, given the ‘circumstances’, and also strategically beneficial when dealing with Metal maniacs with devilish inclinations. It’s probably a fairly common scenario when it comes to synth ‘acquisitions’ for Metal bands. However, on record and later during live performances, he would don a black cloak with a hood and a chain around his neck. A self-initiated contribution to the band’s image, which showed that the assimilation and autonomous development of even such stylistically distant individual had gone in the right direction, which of course was greatly appreciated and earned respect on a different scale. As for the drummers’ matter, there was a change relatively shortly after recording the debut album. I don’t remember what exactly happened, but after the record was recorded, Peter somehow vanished from our lives. That’s how I perceive it now, at, least. I completely cannot remember in what exact circumstances our paths parted ways. But, I recall that at that time he was struggling with different problems in his private life, that were burning his mind, not allowing him to focus on a band like me and Michael. It also reflected on us, adding to our own pile of obstacles and misery. Of course, today, from the perspective of a mature person (distinctively relatively mature, haha) and certainly more lenient, I get that from his point of view these were matters which evidently required prime concern than hammering club against stump in a band, and which made it impossible to perceive the band as priority. That’s why we couldn’t continue this journey together. Nevertheless, I find the earlier times as creative, enthusiastic and full of crazy-ass humor! That’s when Hans (Hasse) joined us. He was around there, but we didn’t know each other. You would see him from time to time in the form of a permeating dark creature, with his face hidden behind straight black hair down to his waist and a black Gothic tunic. It’s possible that the contact was established through our mutual friend Christian “Necrolord” Wåhlin the well-renowned Metal-album painter and also guitarist and composer of Liers In Wait, where Hasse also played. Hasse added a new dimension to the band – speed,; on a level almost no one achieved before. Since then, we lived it up across Europe, performing at various smaller or larger festivals, which – nota bene – we were invited to in a convention as if we have been in existence for years and had released at least three albums. And very often by air. However, at that time, it was completely normal for us, or even ‘obvious,’ as we treated ourselves with an inadequate pomp. But, as I often emphasized later on, and still do, we were treated accordingly to our own perception and presentation of ourselves. That’s when I understood how this phenomenon works in mass psychology. After that, around 1997, live performances came to an end. However, from time to time, we occasionally recorded covers, being invited to tributes dedicated to various iconic bands.
What happened after The Apostate was released, which decision have been made for the future of the band?
Neither in relation to the second album in 2003 we did play any concerts, because it was never our intention. It was supposed to be just an album. The band as such no longer existed. Besides, as I mentioned earlier, each of us was heavily involved in our careers with other bands at that time. Nevertheless, Listenable Records had been pushing us to release a second album for years. Not very insistently or frequently, but they would remind us twice a year that it would be cool and good to do so. Of course, in the background, I have been working on new songs for Luciferion for some time, despite playing completely melodic Metal with Lost Horizon since 1998, together with Martin. We were all still actively participating in the extreme scene. Besides, I have this tendency that after a certain time of intensely immersing myself in a particular music genre, especially in connection to a production, I eventually feel the need to do something far different. That’s exactly what happened with the second Luciferion album. Simply put, after several years of playing melodic True Metal, there arose an inner need for extremity.
Do you you think Listenable Records or some other label will release some proper re-issues of your two albums, one day?
No, they won’t. Especially not Listenable. That label has been ripping us off for 30 years. Actively and still ongoing. Our aversion to this kind of collaboration extends to other labels as well, albeit for different reasons. Yet another thing is, that being a well-known band or artist, delegating releases of this kind to third-parties is in the most of cases a complete misunderstanding. It’s giving away money to others for something that can be done by oneself and have exclusive profit. Or it’s letting leeches feast while oneself receives a pitiful share. Setting aside that aspect, personally, I don’t feel like dealing with such things. Trivialities like ‘collector’s items’ and the like is splitting hairs, and the earnings are almost always mediocre compared to the effort put into such endeavors. Moreover, I neither have the energy, nor the desire for such things. I just don’t feel like it. I try to focus on the future. The future that is still ahead of me. Perhaps when we’re old geezers, we’ll dedicate ourselves full-time to milk the benefits from past achievements, but for the time being there is no need for it.
Which have been your studies when it comes to musical theory and practice?
None. And that absolutely by a very conscious, own choice. But also as a result of the course of circumstances in my life. I am a being forged in the magic of Metal and the chaos of its element. However, the topic of “musical education” was once an irritating subject. It was being perceived completely differently by normal people around, which manifested itself in their repetitive, ubiquitous blabber and by being persistently force-fed with standards about “proper” music education, supposedly necessary to achieve anything valuable in the field. Apart from periods in my life when I in a certain minimal way somehow took it in, I have never attached significance to that paradigm. Not only that, just as often I downright intuitively avoided it. I was always aware that it was not necessary to anything for me on the path I intended to follow. That the necessary secrets I would learn on my own, in my own way, and the unnecessary ones I don’t want to let into the labyrinths of my mind, so they don’t clutter my integral purity of own perception and discovery of magic. The only thing I slightly regret is the technical and teoretical aspect in terms of the guitar and navigating it, which to this day I perceive in myself as very limited.
Which are your musical plans at the moment, have you got any active band or project?
I don’t have an active band as such. Not because I don’t want to, really, but because it seems to be unattainable in a more meaningful and structured form. Life has shown that it simply doesn’t want to happen anymore. But I also feel a bit like I don’t want to take on disproportionate undertakings and challenges anymore, like a prospering band and an active career. In fact, I no longer have a need to expose myself, really. Which, however, doesn’t mean that I don’t want to play live, etc. At the same time, it has been clear to me for some time that I have always been perceived as someone completely uninterested in being a musician in a band or project other than my own. And that is a big misunderstanding. But I can understand in a way the opposite image of me that has been formed over the years, based on how I have always operated and how my public image has been. And returning to the subject of my possible, let’s say current musical activity, and in order to not leave too much scattered misery, I can reveal or even declare that I am in an advanced stage of producing material for a debut album with a new project/band together with a relatively new, but close pal from California. It’s again American Death-Metal in the style of old Morbid Angel, Angel Corpse, Deicide, Terrorizer, even a bit Celtic Frost and old Metallica, in the form that those fantastic entities presented during the prime of their creative greatness. Honestly? I can’t wait for this material to gradually be made available to people! Unfortunately, there are still lyrics, vocals, and solos left. A trio that makes my guts churn… When I joined Jaggernaut 15 years ago, I told myself that I would end that tribulation, and then «long live freedom as just a guitarist and a riff-oriented one!». Mhmm, yeah right… Back in the same, old omnibus-swamp… But I’ll go through even this one. And it’s gonna be awesome, just as always.
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Line-Up:
Martin Furängen – Bass
Michael Nicklasson – Guitars
Wojtek Lisicki – Guitars, Vocals
Hans Nilsson – Drums
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Discography:
Demonication (The Manifest) / Full-length 1994
Demo 94 / Demo 1994
The Apostate / Full-length 2003
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Compilation:
– “Fight Fire with Fire” on “Metal Militia – A Tribute to Metallica” (Black Sun Records, 1994)
– “Chemical Warfare” on Slatanic Slaughter II: A Tribute to Slayer (Black Sun Records, 1996)
– “Bramy żądz” (Gates of Lust) (Feat. Snowy Shaw) on Czarne Zastępy: W Hołdzie Kat (Pagan Records, 1996)
– “Black Funeral” (Feat. Snowy Shaw & {artist 3963 on Mercyful Fate Tribute (Listenable Records, Sep, 1997)
– “Brainstorm” on Tyrants from the Abyss – A Tribute to Morbid Angel (Listenable Records, 1997)
– “Satan’s Gift (The Crown of Thorns)“ on Novum Vox Mortis 666 1/1 (Listenable Records, Repulse Records, Novum Vox Mortis, 1999)
– “Blasphemer (Sodom cover)” on Homage To The Gods (Sodom Tribute) included with Limited Edition version of Sodom – Code Red album (Drakkar Records, 1999)
– “Christ Dethroned” on Soundcrusher Volume 1 (Listenable Records, 2000)
– “Chemical Warfare” on Slayer MP3 CD-rom (Домашняя Коллекция, 2000)
– “Chemical Warfare (Slayer cover)” on Коллекция Альбомов И Концертов (1995-2001) CD2 MP3 CD-Rom (Навигатор, 2002)
– “Brainstorm” on Tyrants from the Abyss – A Tribute to Morbid Angel (Hammerheart Records, 2002)
– “Become or be Gone” on Mystic Art Vol. 24 (Mystic Art, 2003)
– “Destroying by Will” on Hell Awaits CD Sampler Nº 24 (Hell Awaits, 2003)
– “Chemical Warfare” on A Tribute To…Slayer (Moon Records, 2003)
– “Chemical Warfare” on Slayer – Коллекция Альбомов И Концертов (1995 – 2003) Часть 3-4 (Навигатор, 2004)
– “Destroying by Will” on Listenable Records Sampler (Unknown date)
– “Chemical Warfare” on Slayer – MP3 Collection (Digital Records)
– “Chemical Warfare” on Slayer – MP3 (MP3 Music Collection)